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COLLEGES

41. THE COLLEGE OF COTTERSTOCK

The retired village of Cotterstock is remarkable as having been the seat of one of the
largest—probably the largest—colleges of private
foundation, of a chantry character, throughout the
kingdom.

John Gifford, clerk, rector of the church of
Cotterstock, resigned the living in 1317, and
being then possessed of considerable means,
farmed the manor or rectory, and eventually
purchased them. He was one of numerous
instances of servants of the crown to whom was
granted a variety of benefices, and he eventually
became a considerable pluralist. In May, 1313,
he was attached to the service of Queen Isabella,
and in that capacity obtained letters of protection
to accompany her across the seas; a passport for
similar reasons was granted him in February,
1314. (fn. 1) He gained the special favour of the
queen, and soon afterwards became steward of
her lands beyond Trent, a position of considerble importance. This office he held until 1330,
when the queen dowager having resigned to the
king all her castles, boroughs, honours, hundreds,
manors, and lands beyond Trent, John
Gifford became steward and surveyor of the
same under the crown, and was henceforth
known as a king's clerk. He was deputy justice
of South Wales, 1331-2, and afterwards for a
time justice, and held a variety of other crown
appointments.

In 1332 he was appointed to the prebend of
Grindale, as a canon of York, where he
occasionally resided, and about the same date he
was also given the Wells prebend of St.
Decuman, and the Salisbury prebend of Yat
minster Netherbury. (fn. 2) In 1336 John Gifford
received the very lucrative appointment of master
of the wealthy hospital of St. Leonard's, York. (fn. 3)
All these benefices he held until his death from
the plague in 1349.

Affection for his native county and the place
of his first preferment, coupled with great loyalty
to his royal benefactors, was probably the
motive that caused Gifford to establish so considerable a college at Cotterstock.

Between 1317 and 1333 John Gifford made
four appointments to the rectory of Cotterstock,
the last being John Ward of Holt. In February,
1335, the said John Ward and his brother Peter
acknowledged their indebtedness to Gifford for
the sum of eighty marks, to be levied on their
lands and chattels in the county. (fn. 4) It was just
at this time that Gifford began to formulate his
plans for a college on a great scale, and through
the rector's indebtedness to him was doubtless
able to prevent any opposition from that quarter.
The Patent Rolls have a variety of full entries
sanctioning the first inception of this project and
its gradual accomplishment; but it was not until
5 December, 1339, that the scheme received the
necessary episcopal sanction, whilst the formal
appropriation of the rectory to the college was
only accomplished on 19 February following. (fn. 5)
When the rectory was appropriated, the bishop
of Lincoln retained a pension out of it of 40s.,
the dean and chapter of Lincoln of 20s., and the
archdeacon of Northampton of 6s. 8d. (fn. 6)

This college, or very large chantry, was to
consist of a provost, twelve chaplains, who might
be either secular or religious, and two clerks, to
say daily mass in the church for the good estate
of the queen dowager as well as of the king and
queen and their children, and for their souls
after death; and for the good estate of John
Gifford and his brother William and heirs, and
afterwards for their souls, as well as for the souls
of their parents, and of all benefactors of the
college. The charter, granted by the king on
23 June, 1338, was evidently regarded as a document of grave importance. It is witnessed by
many magnates of the realm, the first being the
archbishop of Canterbury. (fn. 7) The original endowments for sustaining this great foundation
were the manor of Cotterstock, with two mills,
an acre of meadow at Pirho, a certain fishery in
the waters of the Nen, eighty-five acres in the
forest of Rockingham, with pasture rights
throughout the whole forest, and the advowson
and rectory of Cotterstock, together with the
advowson of the hospital of Pirho. The king
also granted the provost and chaplains free
warren over their forest lands, and immunity
from every conceivable kind of toll. In acknowledgement of these special quittances to the college
of St. Andrew's, Cotterstock, John Gifford paid
over to the collectors of the customs of wool in
the port of Kingston-upon-Hull twenty sacks
of wool. (fn. 8)

A confirmation of the first charter of endowment, granted 21 April, 1340, gives a variety
of interesting additional particulars. In addition
to lands, John Gifford granted to the provost
and his twelve chaplains the following chattels:—
21 oxen, 6 plough horses, 6 cart horses, 24
cows, 2 bulls, 500 sheep (of which 40 were
muttons and 100 ewes), 6 sows with 80 swine
and little pigs (half of the age of one year or
more), 40 swine of the age of two years or
more, and 2 boars.

The full dedication of the college or chantry
was in honour of the most Holy Trinity, and of
the glorious and most blessed Virgin Mary, the
most sweet Mother of God and of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and of the blessed Apostles, and
especially of the blessed Andrew, and of All
Saints in the church of St. Andrew of Cotterstock. The provost and chaplains should be
men of letters and of good fame, free from all
forms of luxury and from quarrels and strifes;
they should study divinity after the example of
the blessed Titus and Timothy, and strive to
be a fragrant example to other priests. On the
death or resignation of the provost, the chaplains
should within ten days choose two of their
number the best fitted to succeed, and send their
names to the bishop of Lincoln, who within ten
days of such presentation should collate one of
the two to the provostship; in default of the
bishop or his vicar-general, the collation was to
pass to the chapter of the cathedral church of
Lincoln. The provost was to take an oath of
personal and continuous residence at the chantry.
The provost, with three or four of the chaplains,
should prepare a balance-sheet of the affairs of
the college yearly, about the first day of May.
On a vacancy among the chaplains, the provost
and chaplains should choose another within
twenty days, and to insure the vacancy being
speedily filled were ordered to fast on bread and
water every day until the appointment was made.
Each chaplain was to take an oath of canonical
obedience to the provost. The two clerks were
to be men of regular life, and thoroughly competent to read and sing. Mattins, and the other
hours up to vespers, in addition to masses, were
to be solemnly sung daily in the chancel at the
accustomed times after the use of Sarum, and
that distinctly and fitly with good psalmody.
The hebdomadarian was to be careful, when
singing the daily hours, before each prayer to
pronounce slowly the 'Hail, Mary.' The mass
of Our Lady was to be sung daily, as well as a
mass de Angelis for Queen Isabella whilst living,
and a mass de defunctis after her death;
the chaplains were then to return to the choir
and sing another mass, with deacon and subdeacon in dalmatic and tunicle as laid down in
the use of Sarum. The mass Salus populi was
also to be daily celebrated. Every Sunday there
was to be mass of the Trinity; on Monday, of
the blessed Andrew; on Tuesday, of St. Thomas
of Canterbury; on Wednesday, of St. John
Baptist; on Thursday, of Corpus Christi; on
Friday, of the Holy Cross; and on Saturday, of
St. Martin.

There was also to be sung daily another mass
for the dead, or of some special saint, according
to the rota laid down by the provost. Each
chaplain celebrating mass should remember the
founder and other benefactors, the kings and
queens of England and their progenitors and
children, the father, mother, and relations of the
founder, Henry, bishop of Lincoln, and the
canons of the cathedral church; William de
Kyrkeby, Christina his wife, John de Honby,
John Knyvet, Joan his wife, Richard Knyvet,
Joan his wife, and Walter de Honby, their heirs
and children. The anniversaries of Queen
Isabella, and of the founder and his parents, were
to be specially observed after the use of Sarum.
The provost and chaplains were to be clad in
black or russet colour, without red, and when in
church at the divine offices they were to wear
black tippets with black fur or lining and surplices
or rochets, after the manner of the vicars of the
church of Lincoln. But from Easter Eve to
the festival of the Exaltation of the Cross it
was permitted to lay aside the copes, and to wear
only the surplices. They were to have large
definite and uniform crowns to their tonsures,
suitable for canons. The provost and chaplains
were to live in common, and not to have more
than two kinds of fish or flesh. On Sundays
and festivals their meals were to be neither too
slender nor too excessive. All their meals were
to be in the hall or frater, when there was to be
silence, one of their number reading from the
Bible (de biblia) or the lives of the saints. Their
goods were to be in common, neither provost nor
chaplains selling anything or appropriating it to
his sole use. The provost was to have yearly
40s. for his necessary purposes and for the honour
of the chantry, and to give a strict account of its
expenditure. The chaplains were all to sleep in
a common dormitory, without any division, but
the provost, with his various occupations, might
have a separate chamber. The infirm were to
occupy another room, and to have suitable food.
The provost and brethren were yearly to choose
one of their number who was to be called the
college warden (custos collegii), who should rule
in the absence of the provost. Another was to
be appointed sacrist, and have charge of the
books, ornaments, and lights of the church, and
of all valuables, books, vestments, and silver of
the college, and specially of two silver cups, one
of which he should retain and the other be kept
with the muniments. The warden should be
responsible for the administration during the
vacancy of the provostship. No chaplain should
play at tables either out of doors or in houses
or elsewhere, nor visit anywhere save for some
special reason, and with the leave of the provost
or warden. Nevertheless he might once a year
visit his friends by leave of the provost. A
small bell was to be rung for dinner and supper.
The common seal was to be kept under four
different keys in the respective custody of the
provost and three chaplains selected by the rest;
the seal only to be used by common consent, or
at the will of the majority. The founder reserved to himself, during his life, with the consent of the ordinary, full power of interpreting,
correcting, adding to, diminishing, and altering
the statutes of the college. (fn. 9)

The possessions of the college were increased in 1343 by certain tithes in Horshaw
and Calonheye, (fn. 10) in 1345 by Thomas Wake,
of Blisworth, who gave them two hundred
and fifty acres of land in the forests of Rockingham and Whittlebury; (fn. 11) and in 1357 by
several messuages and ninety-six acres of land
in Cotterstock, Glapthorn, and Southwick, from
Richard de Spalding, chaplain, and three other
donors. (fn. 12)

A difficulty speedily arose with respect to the
royal gift of the tithes of the wastes and assarts
(forest clearings) of Horshaw and Calonheye,
which were within Rockingham Forest. The
gift exempted such wastes and assarts as were
within a parish that had a parish church, and
the parson of Kingscliffe wrongfully received
them, for Horshaw and Calonheye were extraparochial. The provost and brethren of Cotterstock took action against the Kingscliffe parson,
but when the matter came into the ecclesiastical
courts no cognizance could be taken of the suit,
for these courts knew nothing of such terms as
'wastes' or 'assarts'! Thereupon, in 1347,
the college of Cotterstock petitioned for a more
explicit definition of the king's grant, and the
crown entered on the Patent Rolls that they were
entitled to the tithes of all wastes and assarts or
clearings in woods, lawns, heys, and parks outside
parish boundaries. (fn. 13)

In 1403 the provost and chaplains secured
confirmation from Henry IV. of the charter of
Edward III. on payment of four marks, (fn. 14) and in
1468 the college secured a like favour from
Edward IV. for half that sum. (fn. 15)

The last institution of a rector of the church
of Cotterstock was that of William de Stoke on
17 December, 1339, on the presentation of the
provost and brethren of Gifford's chantry, with
the express consent of Canon Gifford. (fn. 16)

There is a beautiful canopied brass, nearly
perfect, to the memory of Provost Wyntryngham, who resigned in 1398, on the south side of
the chancel. The provost wears a full surplice
with wide hanging sleeves and a canon's tippet
with long ends; over this is a cope with orfreys
and a clasp embroidered with fleurs-de-lis. The
hands are joined in prayer; at the wrists are
shown not only portions of the sleeves or cuffs
of the cassock but also of an inner vest. The
figure stands under an arched canopy with
crocketed finial and pinnacles; the base of the
canopy rests on a bracket supported by a single
pillar. Round the margin of the stone is a
ribbon inscription, having the evangelistic symbols at the corners. The legend runs:—'Hic
jacet magister Robertus Wyntryngham, nuper
Canonicus Ecclĩe Cath. Lincolñ et Prebendarius
de Ledyngton ac Prepositus prepositur, sive Cantarie de Cotherstoke qui obiit quinto die julii
Anno domini Millo ccccxx cujus amime (sic)
ppicietur Deus. Amen.'Between every word
one and sometimes two cinquefoils are engraved,
and one between each letter of the final Amen,
so as to fill up the space. The whole is a particularly nice example of its date.

Bridges gives a list of fourteen provosts (and
their patrons), from the Lincoln register, appointed
between the death of Wyntyrngham and Edmund
Oliver, who was the last to hold office as
warden of the college. (fn. 17) It is remarkable that
the right of appointing the head of the college,
from 1398 down to its dissolution, passed from
the college itself to the lord of the second or
Holt manor of Cotterstock. Members of the
Holt family or their trustees presented to the
provostship until the death of Richard Holt
without issue in 1452, when Simon Norwiche
was declared heir. Simon's grandson of the
same name, after prolonged litigation, secured
the manor of Cotterstock and consequently
wrecked the college, which was formally dissolved in 1536.

The Valor of the previous year, when the
college was under Provost Richard King, gives
the profits of the rectory, house, glebe, and certain rents at £46 18s. 2d. From this there was
deducted the bishop's pension of 40s., the dean's
and chapter's of 20s., the archdeacon's of 5s., the
prior of Fineshade's of 6s. 8d., and procurations
and synodals 10s. 7d., leaving the net income at
£42 15s. 11d. (fn. 18) Much of the original endowment had by this time disappeared.

In the Chantry and College certificates, temp.
Henry VIII., Cotterstock is described as a hospital or college, and it is stated that it was
dissolved on 4 February, 1536. The document
of dissolution was exhibited to the commissioners
by Edmund Oliver, late provost of the college, (fn. 19)
by whom it was stated that the provosts, since
the first foundation in the time of Edward III.,
had been parsons of the benefice and church of
Cotterstock, and the parsonage there their chief
mansion house; that John Craye, at Michaelmas
1538, by a writ of entry recovered against Edward
Astwick, (fn. 20) late provost, the manor of Cotterstock, 12 messuages, two mills, two dove-houses,
400 acres of arable land, 100 acres of meadow,
400 acres of pasture, 100 acres of wood, etc.,
as well as lands in Glapthorn, Southwick, and
Benefield; that Symon Norwiche, Esquire,
patron of the church of Cotterstock, entered
into the premises, and various discords and suits
began; that eventually judgment was given by
the Lord Chancellor and others on 28 November, 1539, in favour of Norwiche's title to the
manor lands.

The provost-manor of Cotterstock was granted
by Edward VI. to Sir Robert Kirkham, (fn. 21) who
occupied the large collegiate or chantry house
near the east end of the church. As the college
gradually lost its lands the number of the chaplains
was perforce considerably reduced. Leland, writing about 1538, says:—'Malory (fn. 22) told me that
there was a late Collegiate Church at Cotterstoke
almost in the middle way betwixt Foderingey
and Undale, but cuming from Foderingey onto
Undale it standith a little out of the way on the
right hand. In this College was a Mr., a three
prestes, and a three clerks. The Parsonage of
Cotterstock was appropriate to it, and praty
Landes beside. One Gifford was, as I hard, the
first Founder of it. One Nores clayming to be
Founder even of late hath gotten away the
Landes that longid to it. So that now remainith
only the Benefice to it.' (fn. 23)

Footnotes

3. Close, 10 Edw. III. m. 19d. Separate letters
nominating attorneys to act for him as holder of these
three prebends and the hospital mastership were
granted in the year 1340, when he was about to
visit the court of Rome; at the same time other
letters of attorney were granted him as lord of
Cotterstock. Pat. 14 Edw. III. pt. 2, m. 22.